Home > Resources > Technical > Black Box Explains > Interface standards > Analog video connections
Navigation
 
Analog video connections

Analog video Connections



HD type hd15-Pin Video VGA connector image

VGA — — The Video Graphics Array interface carries analog RGB with separate horizontal and vertical sync signals and is presented on an HD15 connector (also called 15-pin D-subminiature).

When VGA was introduced by IBM® in 1987 for PC video display, it was a huge improvement over the earlier EGA DB9 connector.


VGA, the basic format, supports resolutions up to 640 x 480 with 256 colors. SVGA (Super VGA), XGA, and later formats continued the drive to provide ever-sharper images and greater color depth. Plus, over the years, VESA standards have brought structure and interoperability to a market that was becoming a mixture of often incompatible SVGA graphics cards. Later formats supported even higher resolutions—oftentimes, rivalling those of digital 1080i and 1080p displays. These later formats include SXGA (1280 x 1024), UXGA (1600 x 1200) and WUXGA (1920 x 1200).


RCA Jack Composite video connector image

Composite video — Typically presented as a yellow RCA connector, the analog Composite interface has been the standard interface for consumer TV equipment.

As its name suggests, Composite video has the luminance (black and white), chrominance (color) and sync pulses combined in one signal.


S-Video connector imageS-Video — Also called Y/C video, S-Video was introduced to overcome some shortfalls associated with Composite video. It’s a less encoded video format, transmitting color (C) and luminance (Y) information separately to produce a sharper image.


Component video connector image

Component video — This YCbCr connector separates the signal more than S-Video for less interference and improved video. In addition to Y (luminance) signals, it transmits color information as two signals: B-Y (Blue minus luminance, also called Cb or Pb) and R-Y (Red minus luminance, also called Cr or Pr).


Learn more:
DVI - Digital Visual Interface